How to change the headlight motor gear in a C4 Corvette
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- How to fix C4 Corvette Headlights that wont go up or down. This video will show you how to take off the headlight assembly, take off the headlight motor, and change out your worn gear with a nice new one
If your headlights are not going up, or it goes up but easily falls back down, this is what you need to do to fix it.
Plastic gear and bushings (good price and all you need):
amzn.to/28LvpAX
Bronze gear and bushings:
amzn.to/28Lvp47
This is really easy to do and it will save you a lot of money. The dealer wanted $400 per light. This takes an hour each light if you take your time!
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Disclaimer:
Due to factors beyond the control of ChrisFix, I cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. ChrisFix assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. ChrisFix recommends safe practices when working on vehicles and or with tools seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of ChrisFix, no information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not ChrisFix. - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Chris your corvette (red)is the most beautiful I have ever seen!
I watched other videos but found yours to be the most complete. I have a ‘90 which would work sometimes but not always. I had lots of practice from a ‘98 Firebird. So fairly the same. The c4 gear and bushings were fine. The gear itself was cracked all the way through the teeth. Someone had taken it a part and just rotated the gear to put the crack on the other side where it wouldn’t be used. It’s a temporary fix and works but one can never tell for how long. I figured it I’m taking it out and apart, it’s getting a new gear and bearings! Thanks again! BTW…anyone can do this fix! I’m an older woman who jumps in and gets things done!
Thanks a lot!!!! It is great to get feedback (good and bad) and when the feedback is this kind it makes creating these videos all worth it!!!!!! I am actually just a backyard mechanic learning as things break. I figure that it's helpful for others to learn how to fix stuff so they can try it for themselves. And what better way to learn then watching someone do it and following along!
almost SIX years ago, and you'd already gotten the spread of tools needed, your channel developed pretty fast! kinda binge watching all your old videos, I'm looking foreward to that first mention of soapy wooder
Used this video to replace the gears on my 1995 Corvette. Worked well. The hardest part was removing the pins, the rest was a breeze! Thank Chris!!!!
Chris, you have done a good job on explaining the basic ideas, but .......
1. Remove the outer painted light cover before you start ... rotate the housing manually so it is open about 1/4 of the way, 2 Phillips screws on the outside, and 2 T1 torx on the inside, and you avoid any damage to the paint work!
2. Never hammer a drill bit into a roll pin ... drills are hard (HSS or high carbon steel ... quite brittle), use a 1/8" drift or a blunt nail (hammer the end to flatten it down). If the drill breaks in the hole, it is VERY difficult to remove, and you are going to junk the housing ($$).
3. It is a lot easier to remove the roll pin while the housing is in the car ... you avoid the blocks of wood and things falling over problems. Prior to removing the light housing, rotate the light so you can see the roll pin and use a small drift or a long penny nail and tap the roll pin through the arm.
Anthony Gordon
Good info! Correct about drill bit. I used roll pin punch, that’s the right tool for the job.
getting a c4 corvette coming in tomorrow, rewatching these videos to get into the zone of repairing it!
Awesome! Congrats on the C4!
@@chrisfix Thank you!!
I have a 1990 that I bought cheap. A few repairs needed. Headlight is one. This video will be very useful. Your "how to remove the battery" was also very useful. You are my Corvette genius.
Awesome video Chris. I'm going to tackle it today because of the confidence your video gives me. Anyone else who this video helped should consider thanking Chris with a little donation.
Thanks a lot! Let me know how it goes!
Not well. I can't get the passenger side gear to seat properly. I've hammered it hard too. Could I grind down the shaft slightly?
It is a little different for the 84 I think, but the same basic idea applies. Good luck with the fix, its pretty easy!
I love your channel
The opti isnt a problem on the 96 Vettes. It is vented! I got mine soaked in antifreeze when the waterpump went, and it is still running great (original too)... Glad the video helped!!!
I love how you started out just wanting to help people learn to fix things on their own and now even though your channel has grown like a wildfire you’re still just wanting to show people how with just a little effort they can fix their car too. Good for you!
Great video. Just wanted to clarify that my 1986 was different in many ways. But you showing that the gear was changeable was all I needed. You saved me some bucks by posting that video. Thanks!
Glad the video was helpful!
I know this is several years old now, but I smiled the whole way though watching a young guy fix this with the tools he had. Loved the carpenters hammer, towel on the ground and just doing it. Well done Sir. Loved the vid
I’ve watch a lot of your videos and ran across this from a referral from another channel. This is the first time seeing you without a helmet or hiding your face. Always wondered what you looked like lol. Your an awesome mechanic and have learned a lot from you. You have come a lot way in 10 yrs. Keep up the awesome videos. 👍🤘🤙
Excellent job Chris. You show every step and explain everything so well. Just about anyone can do this following your video. Thanks so much for this video.
Thanks man. It's weird because most of my videos, even ones that are so simple that there is no fathomable reason for a dislike, I get them... The key is having significantly more people like the video (that is where I think I do pretty good)
People mad they shelled out 900 bucks when they couldve done this in an afternoon with a buddy and a six pack in the cooler
I was surprised that when I took mine apart, the plastic gear was completely intact (around 165k miles then) but the bushings were completely powdered! Literally. I changed them out and in the process I hyper extended my thumb when using a C-clamp lol.
Cool of you to upload this video to possible help others, It's already hard enough for us 92-96 C4 owners lol, If you know what I mean (opti)
Dude, you are awesome! I bought a 1995 last Friday, the 4th. Lights shuddered when opening or closing. I watched your video this past week, bought the gear and bearings and installed them today. I couldn't have done it without your video! The drivers' side took me about 2 hours but the second only about 45 minutes! That's simply because I knew what I was doing by the time I got to the second one, lol. One suggestion as a tip, remove the headlight cowling before you do anything. Number one, it helps prevent scratches to it and, number two, it makes easier access to one of the bolts on the motor assembly. Plus, you might as well replace the headlights once you pull the whole assembly out. Mine were probably original headlights since the car has just 30,300 miles on it. Thank you so much again, Chris!!!
+Stephen Greene Awesome man! I am glad the video was helpful! Congrats on the new C4!
Hey, first I wanted to say thanks for the video. With these directions, it was pretty easy to follow through with performing this maintenance job ony '95 C4, which was displaying these symptoms of gear failure.
However, I would have liked to have been warned that the process is different side to side; with the passenger side being markedly more difficult to complete the repairs on. Indeed, there's significant difference in the design of the parts from left to right, a consequence of manufacturing processes that did not implement mirroring.
Glad it helped! Yea, I am on the Corvette Forum and a few of the other smaller Vette forums... Good Luck changing the gears! It is an easy job, just take your time!
Hi Chris , sorry to disturb you . I was just curious , are the new headlights made out of glass or plastic
Recently purchased an ‘89 and need to this for 1 headlight. Perfect video! We will follow step by step. Thank you taking the guess work out of it for us.
Well, I think that Chevrolet needs to get ahold of you and let you do a regular television series. You attention to detail is amazing, and really help us car dummies.
It's good to see young people venturing into complex mechanical work to the point of teaching others how to do,most adults don't know how to strike a nail,proof that there's still hope,kudos to you !
I really don't understand the 2 dislikes. The video showed every step in detail, and was integral in helping me disassemble/reassemble my headlight motor!
The first chris fix video I've ever actually needed. Can do motor swaps, cant change a headlight gear.
Thank you so much for the terrific video lesson! Using your guidance, I changed the gears / bushings on both headlights of my '88 Corvette this weekend and they now work perfectly. The old bushings had, amazingly, disintegrated completely into a fine powder. The only minor “problem” I encountered during the repair was that the new bushings were a little too large and had to be sanded down slightly to fit.
Saw your vid a couple of times last night to get the repair down pat. Did my gear repair this weekend. Took about 30min tops per headlight assy no more then 1hr for both. The bushing were powdered/dust it was pretty sad. The gear was still good but I went ahead and replaced gear/bushing since it was all torn apart. Now my 94 lights dont clunk for an extra 3 sec and now sound solid.
Thanks for a excellent vid.
Just fixed both of my C4 headlights today, thanks to your video. I had it playing on my work table as I completed the repairs. Passenger motor is just a little different, but not hard to figure out. Thanks for the excellent tutorial.
Thanks dude. My 87 was doing this but I got it working thanks to you. I'm only 16 and I still got a lot to learn about my vette.
robert cranfill Awesome! Glad the video was helpful! Keep learning man! I have a lot of good videos that will teach you the correct way to fix cars!
Steve Michelson
You are a GREAT teacher. Even I, who is totally non-mechanical, can fix my headlight and save tons of money. Thank you so much! Your video is so clear as well!
Did this yesterday. Took about 2 hours to do both. This video was perfect! Saved me lots of time.
Holy moly- have you come a long journey since these days. Where has 6 years gone? Look at you now, big Hollywood production. I am very proud of you, and your channel. Love you, Man!
Just finished installing new gears and bushings in my 93 Corvette. Watching this video made this job very easy to do. I really appreciate Paintball007's effort in making this a great how-to video.
Hi Chris, thanks for the video! Just repaired my '89. On mine the gear was fine, only the bushings needed replacing... Works like a charm now and I have a spare gear for when I have to do the passenger side.
Great! Glad the video was helpful and you fixed your headlights! Usually the bushings go and not the gears so you are in good shape!
Got my first Corvette (a 1994) last June (2019) and I figured the headlight knocking noise wasn't normal. Found your channel and this video a while ago, got the same parts you used and turned out to be a great project for a guaranteed Saturday : ) This video was fantastic, my headlight motors are fixed and swapped out the sealed beam halogens while I was at it with the help of your video on changing a Corvette headlight bulb. Thank you for the great channel with easy language a guy like me with little mechanical knowledge can follow!
Im not a corvette owner but I found this video very interesting and informative. Good video bro.
Woah, watching this 10 years later and man you have came a long way, as I’m trying to fix my 85 corvette headlight it won’t flip so I need to figure out how to flip it in manually without breaking it.
Crazy right lol? Good luck. It should be just like in my video.
7 years later and Im still using this video haha. Great vid
Great job Chris. I'm not mechanically inclined, but you make your videos very easy to understand-follow.
Came across this Chrisfix oldie while browsing my suggested videos. Great find! Chrisfix, you've come a long way. Good job!
Thank you Chris for taking the time to show how to change the broken gear. I have this job ahead of me on my '84 and you just made it look very easy. So I think I am ready now!
Thanks man! I really enjoy seeing how things work and fixing stuff so this is right up my alley!
Awesome video, very helpful, just changed both gears and bushings in my dad's 93 40th Anniversary Vette today and all went great!
Hi Chris, just changed both headlight gear on my 1993.... following your directions.....all good....works perfectly....and no need for soopy wooder.....thank you.....great job!
Just replaced the driver and passenger headlight gears with brass. My 18 yr old daughter did the drivers side and it was done in about 20 minutes; her second repair job on the Corvette. Video was outstanding!
Now, that passenger side gear replacement was a WHOLE other type of pain. We could not get the gear to pop out, as there is not anything to tap to push it out and it was basically welded in there with all the old plastic shavings. Ended up having to pull the gear screw and then had to let the grandfather step in and do the rest to get it back in working order. It follows the basic principles of the drivers side one, but getting that plastic gear out can be a PITA and so can getting the gear screw back properly.
Bigg Redone Glad the video was helpful! Stinks your passenger side was tough, but at least you got it done! What is awesome is that your 18yr old daughter is working on the Vette! That is great! Teach her so she wont get ripped off by mechanics an learn how a car works!
I fixed my 89 with the help of this video!!! You made everything so easy!! 💪🏼
Great job. Finding some dust under my headlight. Now I know what the problem is and I can fix it .Thank you very much for the video.
Hey Chris thank you I just finished the first one now I’m on to the second you’re video is very helpful, informative, and thorough. Much appreciated
Dude! You should DEFINITELY charge for this video! PERFECT detail! I just did this on my driver's headlight motor on my 1989. My gear was actually perfect (car only has 33,000 miles), but when I opened the gear housing, the pellets were literally disintegrated into baby powder! Installed new pellets, and no more motor running after the light returns to closed! Thank You!
Im glad I could help!!! The design is actually pretty good considering our Vettes are at least 17yrs old... My Vette is a 96 and has yet to need any headlight fixes (knock on wood)
Man.... I had to do this job back in the late 90's. Luckily I found a nice tutorial online (this was before CZcams).
Great job on this video. It'll help a lot of people.
Hey, you have to check the bushings first!!! Like I say in my last post, here in México was so dificult to find parts of corvette, so, I take off the headlights and the only problem was the bushings, the gear was ok and now works so beautiful. Before you buy the gear, check first the bushings, thanks a lot Paintball007...
Going to replace both of mine today, as they seem badly worn, watched this video twice and will watch again as I am going through the dissasembly process of the motor, thanks to you this job seems much easier than before :-)
Chris I know you did this about 5 years ago but I just did it on my 95 C4 last night and your video rocked! The only thing that confused me for a second was I did the right front passenger side and getting gear out was opposite, as far as the 3 bolts to get to it and how to get it out. Great video!!
Randy Smith how did u manage to get the passenger gear out im curious cause I'm having trouble with mine
I didn’t know you had a c4, this is awesome, i knew I was cool for buying one
Haha they are awesome cars!
Thank you VERY much for posting this video. I ordered the replacement kit from Ecklers, Part #37701. For my '94 Corvette, I was replacing the passenger side. It's a little different from your video in that I wasn't able to knock the gear out of the casing. It took me a bit to figure out that I needed to loosen the two 1/4" screws on the motor assembly casing. Once they were loosened, I was able to wiggle the gear out. For me, the plastic motor gear was perfectly fine but the 3 bushings were completely pulverized! I decided not to use the bronze gear and instead keep using the plastic gear. Once I got everything put back together, it worked perfectly!! Of course my drivers side just started acting up now but I know what to do. Not only did I enjoy performing the job myself but I saved a bunch of $$$ doing so. I can now go get my vehicle inspection. Thanks again!! Great video!!
Mike Becker Great! I am glad the video helped you Mike and I am glad you were able to fix it! I used the bronze gear only because the owner of the Vette wanted me to. In my Vette I will just replace the bushings and if needed get a new plastic gear!
Mike Becker Hot tip on the passenger side there Mike!!! I did the driver side first, no problem. The passenger side is a little bit different due to everything being backwards from the driver side. The lip is on the inside of the gear, not the outside as on the driver side. Your hint of loosening the motor casing screws was the ticket!!! :)
Thanks a bunch
hey i also have a 94 corvette polo green i have rebuilt lots of those motors for my own and friends just wanted to let you know that you made a great video for those people who have never done one and you saved them big bucks
Thanks for the video, Chris. I changed a gear out on my 94 ZR-1 today, your instructions were still spot on for the ZR-1. I would add a warning to someone attempting to do this: Get a good set of torx bits for a 1/4in drive ratchet and a long extension. It's a T30 for all of these screws, and the wrenching elements in the screws are easy to strip out. Spent a lot of time today trying to remove a stripped screw.
Also I recommend using painters blue tape around the edges of the light to protect the paint.
I plan on changing the gears and bushings in my 93 also. I'm glad this video is up, it seems a whole lot easier now!
Thanks for the video Chris. I have 1988 corvette and the motor is different and more of a pain than the on in this video but the principal is the same. I wouldn't have been able to accomplish it without this video. Cheers.
Great! Thanks for the feedback and I am glad the video was helpful!!!
iusedmuffinmanfirst how did u get the passenger side gear out of the motor ?
Thanks for posting this! My '94 has the same issue with the headlight and I was just about to order the new gear, so your timing is perfect. This looks like a relatively simple job, just a matter of taking one's time and being careful not to damage anything.
94 C4 Followed your video step by step and it works perfectly. I had replaced my passenger side before but your way was easier...thanks a million!!
Colt Brinlee AWESOME! I am glad the video was helpful and nice work!
No prob! It is a little different on the older C4s but it isnt anything you cant fix after watching this. Good Luck!
Unhurried and thorough. Great video as I have this job ahead of me. I stuck with the original Delrin Bushings, as the oldies lasted 30 years, and In another 30 years I'll probably be pushing up daisies : ) Onya Chris, you provide an invaluable service to the DIY crew.
Awesome! I’m glad the video was helpful! Good luck
Cheers mate... that was a quick reply! You look after your channel in a most professional manner : )
Good job, my friend. Now I have the confidence and knowledge to go tackle my semi functional headlights on my C4. Thanks and God bless.
i have give you that man. no work bench, not even the right tools un u did it.. great work man.. thanks for sharing.
Great video, I could not have done the job with out it. The gear on the passenger side was wedged in and took a good bit of force to get out. Thank you so much for the detailed video.
I did this job today. I used a brass replacement gear. I did the passenger side where things were reversed a bit from the video. The pin replacement was the toughest part for me. Also getting the old gear out was tricky once into the inside of the motor. There was a spacer between my gear axle and the pin holder. Getting the pin into the holes was really hard. Eventually I simply didn’t use the spacer. I noticed my driver side set up doesn’t have the spacer. It all worked out. Thanks for this great tutorial.
Awesome and very informative video dude. Was a tremendous help with my own 91 C4 when I had a motor that was stripped out and had to be replaced. Thanks for the step by step tutorial where even I could manage to do it myself!
Chris, thank you very much for your step by step explanation, awesome video!!
The "pellets" are the "bushings" what get crumbled to tiny pieces... So the previous owners dont take them out, they break down over time due to use. Glad I could help!!!!
Excellent video Chris!!! Now I can fix mine on my 1994 Corvette, which I was told had been done from the previous owner. Thank you!
Great! Glad you got it done. Even though it sucks sometimes, when you get those little challenges, it makes it even more rewarding once you fix it! Glad the video helped! Dont jinx it, my amps are in great shape lol... I wish I had a broken one haha
Just finished my 1996 Black C4 both sides. Your video encouraged me to do it myself. Thank you. Seems the gear was okay tho. It was the bushings that disintegrated. With I’d bought the plastic gear as original.
Finally had a nice day, got it changed out, you instruction was perfect! Thanks Chris, your the best.
Dan C AWESOME Dan! Yea, today was great! I cant wait for more weather like this!
The passenger side is a little different from the driver side. Took me three hours to do. The driver side took about 40 minutes and was just like you showed in your video. I wouldn’t have tack the job if I hadn’t seen your video. Gave me the confidence to do it. Great video. Thanks. BTW, mine is a 96 with 48k.
If you're working on a 1984 Corvette headlight, things will be pretty different through and through, but still a very great tutorial video
Thank you for taking the time and taping the headlight repair. great job.
Thanks Chris couldn’t have done this job myself without the video.
I'm glad the video was helpful!
Thanks for making this video. It really help me fix my headlights and save money.
Thanks for the video, it was very helpful. I had two minor stumblling blocks on my 1992 C4: I snapped the connector holding the wiring connection to the inner fender. So I had to zip tie it back in, no problem. I also had a tough time with the deepest set screw in the bezel - had to put some heat on it to get it loose.
Great! I'm glad it helped!!! That's why I make these videos and it's even better when people comment and let me know if it helped!
Dude, great video. Just used it to replace my gear in one of my headlights. I feel like Mid America motorworks should be paying you for this video!
I had no clue you’ve been making videos for this long. Why to stick with it.
Awesome! No prob! Good luck with the repair.
Great! Glad it was helpful! Thanks for the comment!
Getting ready to do mine on my 85 z51 ,i was going to replace the motor assembly but i will just do the gears like you did,great video
Just got done changing out mine and watching the video along with it! My little pin was a B to get out (using the drill bit part of vid) But it all works flawlessly now! Thanks Chris!
MVDrumline Awesome! Glad the video was helpful even though that pin gave you some trouble!
thanks, for telling just what size tools to use it speeds things up a whole bunch and step by step is good. I'm doing mine today thanks.
Thanks so much for this video. My headlights are better than new. You made it easy for me.
Can't wait to replace my headlight gears tomorrow! Thanks for the great video, So detailed.
Brittney Reichelt Let me know how it goes and good luck!
ChrisFix Over all went pretty smoothly... thanks again!
Awesome! Thanks for the update!
Nice tutorial. Mine was a little bit different, but I was able to follow the basics to get it apart and back together. I'll add that the shavings are usually only the bushings. The nylon gear is normally not damaged and can be reused. I used Dorman 74410 bushings ($5) and rtv to seal it up since my gaskets were shot. I had to remove the motor from the gearbox to install the gear back in. The motor brushes popped out, so I had to use small strands of wire to hold the brushes in place while I reinstalled the motor, then pulled the strands out before tightening things back up.
Awesome! I am glad I can help! Next Vette Video will be how to install a manual switch for your rear radio antenna (so you can listen to CDs or your MP3 player and the antenna wont be up). My friend wanted it installed so I made a how to...
thanks Chris. I've got a 96 CE and will be fixing the light motors. great vid thanks!
I love old videos of you... It's just that it don't have that glorious "hey guys Chris fix is here".that motor looks same as the power window motor
Thanks for feedback. Finally forced it out. Gear had a flange on bottom edge that would not pass worm gear. It wobbled but needed lots of help to let go. Thanks again video and comments.
+Cruzn89 No problem and thanks for the update!
Terrific video, Chris!!! I bought my first Vette, a 92, earlier this year. I was in the process of converting the stock headlights to Cibie H4 high-voltage units when I realized the motors were continuing to run after the lights had closed. I knew what the problem was, but didn't know how to fix it. Your video made it easy. I removed the assemblies and motors this afternoon and am just waiting for the replacement parts to arrive. Many thanks ... keep up the good work.
Pete Klemans GREAT! Congrats on the Vette! Glad the video was helpful! Thanks for sharing your experience. I love hearing success stories!
Very good how-to video! Thanks a lot for taking the time to post this!
Kyle Prater No problem Kyle! Glad the video was helpful! Definitely consider subscribing! New automotive "how to" videos every Thursday and most Mondays!
Thanks dude! I make these videos as I fix my friends' Vettes or my Vette... Next is how to change plugs and wires.